Thank you parents and caregivers!

Over 50 years ago, JDRF was founded by dedicated parents on a mission to provide a voice for the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community – and with the ultimate goal of finding a cure for T1D so that their children and all those who came after could know a world free from the disease. While much has changed since 1970, one thing remains the same: like the two founding moms, today’s parents and caregivers of children with T1D make a commitment to helping their kids navigate life with this disease. These incredible parents and caregivers do extraordinary things every day without blinking and without recognition.

National Parents Day gives us a chance to say thank you to all the wonderful parents and caregivers of children with T1D, and the parents who live with T1D themselves.

“Living with T1D is hard, really hard at first, I won’t sugar coat that. So it’s nice to have someone there to change your pump for you once in a while, squeeze your hand during an injection, or even just to vent to on an unusually hard day. So, thank you, mom and dad. I know I try to be independent, but I truly don’t think I could’ve done this without you, especially in the beginning.” -Olivia

“Thank you for everything Mom and Dad! For all the support, for all of the late night juice-box deliveries, for all of your patience and flexibility when I would forget to pack low snacks or leave my meter behind, for all of the advocating you’ve done on my behalf, for all of your help with Team Jessica over the years, and for all of the fundraising and donating you’ve done! I love you both so much!” -Jessica

“I’m honored to take this opportunity to thank my parents. For the past seven years they have helped me calculate carbs, giving me injections and helped with all the challenges that come with having type 1 diabetes. They never let Type 1 diabetes define me and have always encouraged me to do anything I wanted. I never would have made it this far without them.” -Katerina

Here are just some of the ways that our T1D parents and caregivers rise to the challenge to be T1D champions for their kids:

• You know the significance of the numbers 70 and 180.
• You carry glucose tablets, snacks, a change of insulin pump site supplies and glucagon everywhere you go. So does your child.
• Even if you didn’t go to medical or nursing school, you’re a pro at drawing up insulin, pricking fingers and inserting pump sites.
• You understand the meaning of “bolus,” “HbA1c” and “DKA,” among a whole host of other T1D-specific terms.
• Even if you don’t have an advanced degree in mathematics, your math skills are top notch (carb counts, blood glucose levels… SO MANY NUMBERS).

Above all, you are—and always will be—a warrior for your child. You won’t rest until cures are available. THANK YOU!